This blog is going to be a little different from the others. This is because I didn’t happen upon these musicians at a big fancy venue, I actually saw them play at a house show. The environment was intimate, the sound was great, and it was a perfect reflection of who Colin Leonard is.
Colin sings with Gentry Railsback and they reflect a southern folk sound. All their music is originally written by Colin, inspired by daily life and faith. They are under the title of Colin Leonard Music.
Colin and Gentry singing at a community fundraiser.
(Photo Credit: Colin Leonard website)
THEIR STORY. Colin has been doing music for a while now, and describes his talent as “an outflow of my deepest thoughts put in the open for others to experience.”
To Colin, music is more than a hobby or something he enjoys to do. He finds that “it’s a necessity, a lifestyle.”
He met Gentry through mutual friends, and they just hit it off. “I have always loved music, and singing at the top of my lungs to all songs I know the words to,” says Gentry the harmony vocalist that sings with Colin. “Even the songs I don’t know the words to, it’s just freeing.”
A picture of Colin and Gentry taken during a video shoot, when premiering their Kickstarter Campaign
(Photo Credit: Colin Leonard’s Facebook page)
Colin Leonard is more than a musician, he is a creative. “I have only one goal: that one day, one song I write can reach someone hurting and change them for the better, “ says Colin.
With the bands ability to blend and create a pure sound it is clear that that dream is not far fetched.
INFLUENCES. While talking to Colin it is transparent that he is heavily influenced by the honest singer-songwriters of the last few decades. Artists such as Josh Garrels and Andrew Belle.
Gentry adds “Don’t forget Panic! At the Disco, that is where it all started.”
This gives you just a little glimpse at the humor within this group of people, and that they truly give credit where credit is due. Thank you Panic! At the Disco, truly we thank you for inspiring these young artists.
MY EXPERIENCE. Colin has taken a genuine approach to his writing that focuses on writing with transparency. This makes his music pleasurable to listen too and intimate. He is a very talented vocalist, writer, and guitar player. Gentry accents his notes just right to make the sound complete. Her vocals are clear, clean, and add a genuine spirit to the music.
As Colin explains “I’m trying to write songs that matter, songs that will be remembered. Songs that in however many years, people will look back on and still relate with what I’ve said. Songs that help define the people of the decade we live in.”
Colin pictured during an artist photo shoot when preparing the release of his EP “Valleys”
(Photo Credit: Gentry Railsback)
Colin does just that, the words, the sounds, the presence, help the listeners truly evaluate who we are and the choices that we are making.
Go take a listen to the EP “Valleys” here on SoundCloud
May the Forte be with You 